The following is a sample syllabus, to provide an example of the content of our courses.

RUSSIAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
LIT 099 (#22966)

Instructor: Dr. Igor V. Pustovoit
(516) 463-5441
cllivp@hofstra.edu
Classes: MW 6:30-7:55 Breslin Hall 0026
Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:00 Calkins Hall 312B and by appointment

Texts (in the bookstore)

N. Rzhevsky (ed.) - An Anthology of Russian Literature from Earliest Writings to Modern Fiction
A. Pushkin - Eugene Onegin
M. Bulgakov - Master and Margarita

Additional texts will be available on Blackboard or distributed in photocopies.

Course Description

This course will study Russian literary texts in translation from earliest writings to present day, including poetry, drama, and fiction. We shall discuss historic and cultural contexts, literary traditions and influences alongside the authors' individual and often unique styles, examining why the authors chose the particular narrative structures, language and imagery they did for expressing their views and values. We shall explore the shared themes expressed in these stories and try to identify their particular national stereotypes and peculiarly "Russian" or "Soviet" characteristics.

Participation

This portion of your grade includes your productive oral participation in class and attendance, any ungraded in-class assignments, the extent to which your written assignments reflect that you are listening actively in class, and the improvement in your work over the course of the semester. Students enroll in the class with varying degrees of preparation. Even if you enter the class with a strong background in the subject, you must demonstrate that you are learning something from this class in order to do well in it. If you are studying the subject for the first time, do not feel that you will forever be lagging behind the more advanced students. Hard work will be rewarded!

You are strongly encouraged to discuss your papers, as well as all of the assignments, with me during my office hours. Most students who turn in drafts and take the suggestions seriously learn a good deal about writing and improve their assignments by one-half to a full grade.

You are investing a substantial amount of money and time to attend Hofstra. Do not squander them by skimping on books or by failing to bring them to class.

Homework

Readings will be discussed in class and should be read in advance of the day we will cover them. Every time a new work is discussed in class you must have a written outline of the story with your questions and comments for the classroom discussion. Even if you have read some of the works already in another version, it is wise to acquire the assigned texts so that you can follow along in class.

In-Class Assignments

There will be in-class essay assignments, such as:

1. Write a thematic essay on any work or topic covered in class.
2. Select a brief passage from any work covered in class, which illustrates an important aspect of the meaning of the whole work and explain how and why in an essay.
3. Compare two or more works covered in class (topics, issues, stylistic devices, etc.).

You will be evaluated on the logic and clarity of your argument and the solidity of your evidence for that argument.

Final Paper

A term paper must cover at least three of the works discussed in class. Specifics will be discussed in class.

If you require citations, please use parenthetical citations with a list of works cited as described in the MLA Handbook 3/e.

Grading

• 20% Participation
• 20% Homework
• 30% In-Class Quizzes
• 30% Final Paper

If you have any condition, such as a mental or physical disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it, please notify me in the first week of the course so that we can make appropriate arrangements.